Shared devices are a critical part of today’s workplace infrastructure. Whether it’s a dock or display in a hotdesking area, a peripheral in a shared workspace, or an audio and video device in a meeting room, these assets are managed by IT but used by many people.
That distinction matters.
Shared devices are not personal devices. They are part of the workplace environment, and they need to remain consistently managed, monitored, updated, and available as part of that environment. For IT teams managing devices across offices, rooms, neighborhoods, and flexible workspaces, the challenge is not just getting devices deployed. It is keeping them correctly assigned, governed, and managed over time.
The Core Challenge
In shared spaces, many different users may connect to the same device over the course of a day, week, or month. Those users may include employees, contractors, guests, or people from different parts of the organization.
Without a clear way to identify a device as shared, these devices can behave more like personally assigned devices than workplace-managed assets. That creates unnecessary complexity for IT teams, especially at scale.
A shared device should remain part of the managed environment where IT placed it. It should continue to appear in the right inventory, follow the right management workflows, receive the right updates, and remain visible for monitoring and reporting. Admins should not have to repeatedly verify whether shared devices are still associated with the correct account, space, or management structure.
For IT teams responsible for large fleets of shared devices, consistent ownership and control are essential. Shared devices serve many users, but they should remain managed by the organization.
Until now, there was no built-in control in Poly Lens Cloud to clearly designate a device as shared and enforce that management model at the device level.
Introducing Shared Device Mode
Poly Lens Cloud now includes Shared Device Mode, a straightforward control that allows admins and device managers to designate a device as shared.
When a device is marked as shared, Poly Lens treats it as a workplace-managed asset rather than a personally assigned device. This helps ensure the device remains associated with the account where IT provisioned it, regardless of who connects to it or signs in through the HP Poly Studio Desktop application.
That means shared devices stay where they belong in Poly Lens Cloud, so IT teams can continue managing them with confidence.
With Shared Device Mode, IT teams get:
Account-locked Management
The device stays associated with the current account where it is managed.
Admin-controlled Changes
If a device needs to be moved or reassigned, that change requires an explicit provisioning action by an IT admin.
Multi-user Readiness
Any number of users can connect to and use the device without changing its managed ownership.
Role-based Control
Only users with Admin or Device Manager privileges can change the Shared setting.
This gives IT teams a reliable way to preserve their intended device structure across shared spaces, without adding ongoing manual cleanup or oversight.
Deciding Whether to Mark a Device as Shared
The Shared setting is designed for devices that serve multiple people rather than a single assigned user.
Common examples include devices installed in meeting rooms, collaboration spaces, hoteling areas, hotdesking stations, shared desks, and other common workplace environments. These are devices that IT manages on behalf of the organization, even though many different people may use them.
Whether a device should be marked as shared depends on how your organization uses its spaces and manages its device fleet.
**Important:**If a device is intended to be claimed and managed by a single individual, do not mark it as shared. Shared Device Mode is intended for devices that serve multiple people, not personally assigned devices.
What this Means for Day-to-Day Management
The practical effect of Shared Device Mode is simple: IT retains clear, predictable control of devices in shared spaces.
Devices stay associated with the account where they were provisioned. Monitoring, firmware management, inventory accuracy, and utilization visibility in Poly Lens Cloud remain consistent because the device continues to live in the right managed environment.
For admins, this helps reduce the operational overhead that can come from managing shared devices across many locations. There is less need to chase down devices, correct ownership issues, or re-establish the intended management structure after users connect.
And when a device does need to move, whether because a space is being reconfigured, a device is being reassigned, or an account structure is changing, that change happens through the normal admin provisioning workflow.
Shared Device Mode helps make shared device management more intentional, more predictable, and easier to scale.
How to Enable the Shared Setting
The Shared setting is available now in Poly Lens Cloud. To enable it:
- Log in to Poly Lens Cloud and navigate to your device inventory.
- Select the device you want to designate as shared, or select multiple devices for a bulk update.
- Mark the device or devices as Shared and confirm.
Once enabled, the device is treated as shared and remains account-locked to its current managed account.
The Shared setting can be changed at any time by users with Admin or Device Manager privileges.
Full Documentation
For complete details on the Shared Device feature, including how it interacts with provisioning workflows and account management, refer to the Shared Devices documentation in the Poly Lens support portal.
Looking Ahead
Shared Device Mode is a meaningful step forward in how Poly Lens Cloud supports the realities of modern hybrid work. Meeting rooms, hotdesking spaces, and shared work areas rely on devices that are used by many people but managed by IT as part of a larger workplace environment.
With Shared Device Mode, Poly Lens gives IT teams a clearer way to manage those devices correctly at scale, helping keep shared assets organized, visible, and under the right administrative control.
For additional assistance, please reach out through HP Support.